U.S. service member crosses border to N. Korea without authorization: Austin

▲ Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seen answering questions during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on July 18, 2023 in this captured image. (Yonhap)

US troop-N Korea

U.S. service member crosses border to N. Korea without authorization: Austin

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Yonhap) -- An active U.S. service member has willfully crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea without authorization, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Tuesday.

The soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody and his safety and wellbeing is still under investigation, according to Austin.

"We are very early in this event, and so there's a lot that we are still trying to learn but what we do know is that one of our service members who was on a tour willfully and without authorization crossed the military demarcation line," the defense secretary told a press briefing.

"We believe that he is in DPRK custody, and so we are closely monitoring and investigating the situation and working to notify the soldier's next of kin and engaging to address this incident," he added, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

United Nations Command (UNC) in Korea earlier said that a U.S. citizen crossed the military demarcation line while on a group tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone, adding that the UNC is working with North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident.

The U.S. Department of Defense has also reached out to North Korea, according to a state department spokesperson.

"The state department has not reached out to the North Koreans or other governments. It is our understanding that the Pentagon has reached out to their counterparts in the DPRK," State Department Press Secretary Matthew Miller told a daily press briefing.

"I will just say that, as always, the safety and security of any American overseas remains the top priority for the United States," he added.

Miller reiterated that the U.S. service member has "willfully, on his own volition" crossed the inter-Korean border when asked if he was trying to defect to North Korea, adding "the matter remains under investigation."

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